The Academic Senate used its final meeting of the 2023-24 academic year to show recognition to student-athletes excelling both on and off the field.
Recognition was given to the outstanding academic achievements of student-athletes who have earned a GPA of 3.75 or higher. The meeting took place on May 1 in the David L. Eisler Ballrooms, with about 60 attendees, including the senate, other faculty and staff and student-athletes.
After the roll call had concluded, the Chair of the Athletic Advisory Committee and an Associate Professor of Developmental Curriculum David McCall took the stage at the meeting’s commencement. He shared that over 70 student-athletes have earned a GPA of 3.75 or above. He also shared that those individuals have exemplified the essence of dedication, perseverance and excellence, both on the field and in the classroom, and their commitment to academic excellence, not only reflects their drive and ambition but underscores the value of a well-rounded education.
“First of all, student-athletes are unique students,” McCall said. “It’s tough enough for students to juggle their schedules and their commitments and find time to study, prepare and do homework. Student-athletes, on top of all that, have practice schedules, games, travel and all those other commitments that I don’t think most people appreciate the amount of time they go to being a student-athlete.”
One of the student-athletes who were recognized, social work grad student Amari Lee, who is a point guard for the Ferris State men’s basketball team, shared his perspective of what it meant to be recognized by the Academic Senate.
“It feels good to be recognized for the academic senate,” Lee said. “This accomplishment means a lot to me because it shows that I can thrive in this world when the [basket]ball eventually stops bouncing.”
From the perspective of both a student and an athlete, Lee additionally stated that it feels good to be recognized for academic senate since student-athletes typically have a lot of responsibilities to manage and to be recognized for their efforts in the classroom while maintaining success in athletics makes the sacrifices and the hard work more worthwhile.
The Academic Senate President and Associate Professor of Public Health Emmanuel Jadhav gave some insights on the importance of recognizing student-athletes.
“Our students engage in athletic activities, and service activities and have a lot of leadership,” Jadhav said. “I think it is so important for the academic senate to recognize the student-athletes. We want to recognize everybody, but we also want to be encouraging those putting in so much time and effort. And I think that is why the academic senate plays such an important role to the students.”
The Athletic Department has several plans heading into the summer. They will be hiring a new assistant athletic director of sports medicine, two other athletic trainers and a head strength and condition coach. The department is hosting golf outings over the summer for football, hockey, men’s basketball, softball and women’s basketball. The men’s and women’s golf teams will have a joint outing.
There are several summer camps offered for a variety of sports teams. Finally, the volleyball team is going to Spain and Portugal from May 5-16 to play in an international competition. The summer plans for the athletic department were provided by Senior Associate Athletic Director Sara Higley.
As for the Academic Senate, according to Jadhav, they will be appointing all the Senate Committees, and they’ll be planning for the Academic Senate Symposium, which is the start of the academic year in the fall. The 2024-25 senate will come back together at their first meeting in the fall.